Western Grocer Serving the industry since 1916
Statistics Canada’s food consumption data is significantly lagged, but it is worth taking stock to see what happened last year. Consumers continued to flock to the beef section of the meat counter in 2025, looking for that perfect cut. The retail beef demand index (2000=100), which measures consumers’ willingness to pay, was up 10% in 2025 to be the strongest since 1982.
Total domestic beef consumption increased 4.5% in 2025, reversing the decline that had been occurring from 2022 to 2024. As supplies fought to catch up with population growth. Imports accounted for 30% of total consumption, supporting availability as the Canadian cattle cycle moves through its smallest supplies.
On average, every Canadian consumed 16.1 kg of beef (retail weight), up 0.5 kg per person or 3.4% in 2025. At the same time, retail prices (deflated) were up 11% in 2025. Overall, consumers continued to see beef as a great source of protein, both for family meals and special occasions.
Total per capita protein consumption increased 3% in 2025. However, at 77.2 kg per person, this remained below the long-term average of 80 kg. Looking at competing meats, per capita pork consumption was steady with 2024, total poultry consumption (chicken, stewing hen, and turkey) was up 4%, and seafish consumption was up 5.3%. Beef and poultry increased their market share slightly in 2025, pulling from pork and seafish.
